Since the 13th century, the Catholic Church has dedicated the month of May to Mary, the mother of God. Such devotion has been an important part of our Catholic identity as we strive to follow her example of saying “Yes” to God, just as she did at the time of the annunciation. Pope Francis encourages us to regularly pray the Hail Mary, not just as a sign of our devotion to her, but to seek her intercession in all the things that trouble us in our lives. “To this invocation, the Mother of God always responds,” he says. “She hears our petitions, holding her Son in her arms, she blesses us and brings us the tender love of God made flesh.”  At this particular time of year, I also take the opportunity to wish the mothers, grandmothers, aunts and all other mother-figures, a happy mothers day for this coming Sunday. 

Each year, schools in the Diocese of Wollongong distribute a survey known as “Tell Them From Me”. It invites students, parents and teachers to offer feedback to each school on what is done well, in addition to areas that can be improved upon. Earlier this week, we circulated a link and invited all parents to participate in this process for 2023. I have included the link again here and invite parents to complete this survey before it closes on Friday 19th May. Any contribution you can make would be most welcomed and valued. 

This coming Tuesday will see the second P&F Meeting for 2023 held in the College Library from 7pm. All parents are welcome to attend to offer their input with regards to all aspects of College life. This week’s meeting will feature a

 presentation from our Leader of Learning - Technological and Applied Studies (TAS), Mr Ian Gorrie, and our Leader of Learning - Educational Technologies, Mr Danny Avalos. 

As you may be aware, the Department of Education has recently announced additional release time for teachers to prepare and support the roll-out of the new curriculum. The Catholic Education Office have recently announced that similar allowances are being made for systemic schools and, for this reason, I wish to confirm that the remaining staff development days for 2023 are as follows: 

• Thursday 29th June (Term 2, Week 10)
• Friday 11th August (Term 3, Week 4)
• Friday 22nd September (Term 3 Week 10)
• Friday 17th November (Term 4 Week 6)

Finally this week, it gives me great pleasure to announce that on the evening of Friday 28th April, former Magdalene Catholic College student, Joshua Whicker, became the first ex-Magdalene student to be ordained a Priest. Josh, who is the son of our current Administration Coordinator Mr Chris Whicker, joined the Missionaries of God’s Love (MGL) order and will minister to the Parish of St Declan’s in Penshurst. We take the opportunity to congratulate Fr Josh and the Whicker family. We are thrilled to confirm that Fr Josh will be returning to Magdalene by joining our community for our own Feast Day at the start of Term 3. 

Wishing you all the best for the weekend ahead, 

David Cloran

Acting Principal

The next P&F meeting will be held on Tuesday 21 May at 7pm in the College Library.

All parents are welcome to attend!

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award at Magdalene.

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is again being offered through Magdalene Catholic College. The Award is a non-competitive program of community, practical, adventurous and physical activities embracing the four sections of Community Service, Skills, Physical Recreation and Adventurous Journey. These provide an opportunity for students to acquire and develop skills, initiative and self-esteem that will help them become more confident members of the community. Participation in the Award is highly regarded by many employers and organisations.

Participants, in conjunction with adult helpers, devise an individual program of activities that is flexible enough to satisfy their enthusiasm and meet their aptitudes, capabilities and available resources.

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is available to students over 14 years of age.

Please note that we anticipate strong interest in participating in the program and numbers may need to be limited.

Additional information with examples of activities can be by accessing the following:

Pentecost

Soon we will be celebrating the Feast of Pentecost, also known as the birthday of the church. According to Acts Chapter 2:

 “2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”

This amazing miracle was the beginning of the Jesus movement.  There were only about 120 believers on the Day of Pentetost, however, after Peter preached to the crowd another 3,000 were added to their number. Now the Church has grown to 2.2 billion believers around the world. 

So who was there when this dramatic transformation took place? Safe to say all of the Apostles, Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, among others were present when the wave of power came upon them from the Holy Spirit. 

Are we open to the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives? The power to heal us, the power to forgive, the power to transform our lives and to aid us in following Christ. It’s the same Holy Spirit that animated Mary Magdalene, St Francis and Mother Teresa. The same Holy Spirit at work in Pope Francis. In light of this power that dwells within us, we are called to a relationship of love with Jesus and with others.

Prayer:

Lord, may we be witnesses to the life giving power of your Holy Spirit in all that we do.

Mary Magdalene

Pray for us

Amen

On Friday 5th May,  we held our annual Magdalene Pink Stumps day to raise funds for the McGrath Foundation. The McGrath Foundation raises money to fund McGrath Breast Care Nurses who provide invaluable support and care to women and men experiencing breast cancer. A cause that means so much to so many people and impacts so many lives. 

Our event on Friday was a huge success and we would like to take the opportunity to thank you so much for all your support throughout the day. To everyone that helped, planned, and ordered food and merchandise, played cricket, came down to watch, donated, and wore pink. Your participation does not go unnoticed. It is all greatly appreciated and the day would not have been a success without you.

A big shout-out to Mr. Riccardo for sacrificing his hair for this wonderful cause and donating it to Wigs4Kids. We hope you don’t get too cold without your hair this winter. 

Congratulations to the Staff team who were crowned the 2023 winners of the Staff vs Students Pink Stumps Game. A stand out effort from all who played.

Finally, we are pleased to announce that all our combined efforts raised a whopping $5000. The most that has been raised over the 3 years that we have run this event.

Congratulations to the Bronze Principal Award recipients in Year 7. These students have demonstrated a commitment to being the best versions of themselves at Magdalene. Keep up the fantastic work Year 7!

The Year 7 Reflection Day was held in the Alan McManus Hall on Thursday 4th May. Belonging is a central theme for Year 7 Pastoral Care this term and the Reflection Day program allowed students to recognise and understand the different ways they experience belonging in their life. Thank you to Mr O'Neill, Mr Sligar, Mr Collins and the Religion teachers for their facilitation and organisation of this day. 

Year 10 University Visits

On Thursday 4th May, Year 10 were lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit three of NSW’s greatest universities to see what university life is like and get a feel for tertiary education. We are in the process of considering our subject selections for Stage 6 at the moment, and after our recent Careers Day, it was great to get out and see what life after school would look like for the students. Students had the chance to visit either the University of Sydney, the University of New South Wales or Wollongong University, and each had a great range of talks and tours on offer to provide the students with a snapshot of university life. Following these visits, we all gathered in the afternoon at Campbelltown TAFE where we were taken on an informative tour of the wonderful campus and learnt about the many options available to students curious about taking this pathway when leaving school. 

Thank you to Mrs Dallene Jones for organising such an excellent and informative excursion for the students. I know that they all got a great deal of information and insight out of the day. 

Mrs Katherine Power

Year 10 Coordinator

On Thursday last week Year 10 had the opportunity to go and visit one of three Universities. These include Sydney University,  University of New South Wales and Wollongong University, with us all meeting together for a tour of Campbelltown TAFE in the afternoon. I had the pleasure of visiting the University of New South Wales. When I got there we were taken by a tour guide into a lecturing room where they explained and talked us through all of the subject areas, which included Business, Science, Engineering,  Computer Science, Design and Architecture, Law and Justice, Medicine, the Arts and Music. Following this tour, our guide took us around the campus, showing us all of the sporting fields, the libraries and the various study areas.  For me, as a student that is about to go into Senior School, it was very assuring to know that there are many different professions that I can pursue.  After visiting the Universities the whole grade met up at Campbelltown TAFE where we were also taken on a tour around the campus of the TAFE. We were shown the many different career paths that we could enter through TAFE.  These included Beauty, Auto Mechanics, IT, Early Childhood Care, Hospitality and Nursing.  I very much enjoyed this day, full of learning opportunities and it gave me many more ideas about what career paths I may want to persue in the future.

Adelaide Bell - 10M

Year 11 Textiles and Design students have been learning about Non Apparel items and their task was to design and make a bag which included both functional and aesthetic features such as interfaced and reinforced handles, a storage pocket and aesthetic elements to enhance their overall product. 

Students learnt how to navigate their way from design to completion, choosing a variety of interesting fabrics, such as cotton, faux fur, corduroy, tulle and nylon. They explored machine basics and how to follow a commercial pattern. Most chose to incorporate a zipper to secure personal belongings and decorative techniques such as machine embroidery, fabric painting and sublimation printing to enhance their overall design. 

The result - High quality and individually personalised practical tote bags and a messenger bag as you can see below.

PHOTOS TO FOLLOW

Our next unit of study is Apparel based. We will continue to develop our skills with commercial pattern use, and undertaking specialised manufacturing techniques. We look forward to sharing our creations with you once we complete them!

Mrs Rixon 

College Choir

Magdalene Catholic College is looking for enthusiastic and passionate singers. Interested students are asked to meet each Wednesday lunch in PA5. Join the Google Classroom so you can stay up-to-date with all the latest information and announcements about our class. We will be making announcements during our upcoming PC sessions in the coming weeks, so it's important that you're in the loop. Don't miss out on this awesome opportunity!

Drama Club

Magdalene Catholic College is also looking for Year 8 students wanting to have some fun and develop skills in Drama. Students will participate in a range of interactive activities and group projects culminating in mini-performances. Interested students are asked to meet each Monday in PA3. Join the Google Classroom so you can stay up-to-date with all the latest information and announcements about our class.

Indigenous Youth Leadership participants meet Dragons

The St George Illawarra Dragons recently hosted the 2023 NRL All Stars Indigenous Youth Leadership Summit participants from the South Coast region at WIN Stadium.

Dragons representatives Tim Askew, Kyle Giltrow, Lalita Hicks and Lily Davis (from Magdalene Catholic College); along with local NRL School 2 Work project officers, spent time at the Dragons training prior to Magic Round.

During their visit, the group had the opportunity to watch the Dragons train before meeting Tyrell Sloan, Jack Bird and Jayden Sullivan.

The new head of NRL Indigenous strategy Danny Allende was also on hand to speak about embracing the opportunity and encouraging them to be proud of who they are as they represent the community and their families in Sydney at the upcoming Youth Summit.

Tim, Kyle, Lalita and Lily have all been selected to represent the Dragons at the summit as they have been identified by their school community as future leaders and representatives for the NRL School To Work program.

With the support of the Dragons and federal government, the NRL School To Work Program continues to spark real change for Indigenous students as they make the challenging transition from year 12 to further education and employment.

Congratulations to Lily for being selected to represent St George Illawarra Dragons at the Youth Leadership Summit next week. This is a huge honour. Well done.

Year 10 University and TAFE Campus Visits

On Thursday the 4th May, Year 10 made the early start into Sydney and down to Wollongong to visit the University of Sydney, the University of New South Wales and the University of Wollongong. The three groups participated in campus tours and received general information on the courses offered by the individual Universities. After the visit, students made their way to Campbelltown TAFE, where again they were shown around the campus. These included looking at the following areas on offer at the TAFE such as early childhood teaching facilities, automotive workshops, support worker residential facilities, beauty and hair salons, visual and graphic arts as well as an overview on pathways into Nursing. Overall, the day was informative for the students and offered them some valuable insights into various pathways they can take post school.

Our College photo day will be held Friday 26 May.

Group and portrait photographs can be purchased by following the link below with Visa, MasterCard or PayPal.

Order School Photos here  Or visit: www.advancedlife.com.au

Enter online order code: 7N3 YTB 1R1

School photography information:

• Online orders - do not require an envelope returned to your school
• Sibling Photos - Don’t forget to pre-order your sibling photos online up to 24 hours before photo day. We provide your school with a list of sibling orders right up to the day of photography, so no one misses out. If you miss the online order deadline, you can submit a completed sibling order envelope first thing in the morning of the day of photography, so your school is aware you want the photo taken and can bring your children together in time for it. Sibling photographs only apply to children enrolled at your school. Please note not all schools offer sibling photos
• Late fees - a late fee will be applied to each package purchased after photo day due to the additional cost of producing these packages separately
• Package delivery - School photographs will be returned approximately 6 weeks after the day of photography. Please note this delivery timeframe is dependent on proofing and additional photography days at your school.
• Previous Years’ photos - Past years’ photographs including sports, co-curricular and representative groups are also available to order under the “previous years or group photo” tabs at your school’s advancedorder site when you click on the “Order School Photos Here” button above. You can also order past packages, portrait images and gifts from your child’s unique, individual and secure advancedyou image archive site using the unique 9 digit image code found on packages you have ordered in the past.

The Council of Catholic School Parents NSW/ACT is excited to be able to continue to provide our families across NSW and the ACT with opportunities to build their capacity to support their child’s learning.

We are delighted to present Corey Tutt OAM, a proud Kamilaroi man and the 2020 Young Australian of the Year for NSW to read a section of his book, The First Scientists to our children and young people.

Parents and carers are encouraged to register for this online event and, on the evening of 30 May, from the comfort of their home, they can connect with us online to hear Corey read to their children.

Registrations are now open!

The first 100 families to register will receive a FREE copy of the book “The First Scientists” to read along at home. 

All those who register, whether they receive a free book or not, will also receive helpful tips to support their child’s reading at home